Conference Chair Welcome

OLC and MERLOT extend to you a warm and enthusiastic welcome to the 2024 Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Innovate Conference. This year’s Innovate conference promises to be an extraordinary event, with in-person experiences at the beautiful Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Denver, Colorado, from April 10 through April 13, 2024, followed by our virtual program week April 23-25, 2024.

As our academic institutions navigate the ever-evolving landscape of higher education, OLC Innovate 2024 stands as a beacon for individuals of all backgrounds and experience levels to come together. We invite you to partake in a dynamic exchange of best practices, the exploration of new ideas, and collaborative efforts aimed at supporting, enhancing, and revolutionizing online, blended, and digital education.

In our ninth year of hosting #OLCInnovate, we invite you to embark on a transformative journey:

1. Inclusivity: Envision yourself participating in a myriad of conference opportunities, encompassing both virtual and on-site options. Immerse yourself in unique session formats, experiential workshops, topic-based summits, and numerous engagement avenues.
2. Inspiration: Delve into a rich array of workshops, presentations, and conference sessions spanning a diverse range of topics designed to educate, challenge, and inspire you.
3. Engagement: Connect with attendees from around the globe to exchange ideas, tackle shared challenges, unearth new opportunities, and collectively dream up innovative solutions.
4. Challenges: Reflect upon and consider fresh perspectives, opportunities, and lessons shared by our diverse array of presenters, sponsors, and keynote speakers. Access both advanced and novel practices to bolster online, digital, and blended learning.
5. Transformation: Prepare to craft strategies and solutions that will impact and influence the current landscape of online and blended learning. Contemplate future possibilities and opportunities for online and blended learners. Celebrate your participation in this newly forged professional learning network.

We wholeheartedly encourage you to engage proactively, taking full advantage of the myriad opportunities available both before, during and after the onsite conference. Whether this is your first or ninth #OLCInnovate, we invite you to be an active participant and contributor. Consider enrolling in the Field Guide program, accessing our range of conference services, tuning in to OLC Live, and joining our Slack community to connect with fellow attendees before, during, and after the event. We are confident that these initiatives will lead to valuable interactions with colleagues who are here to collaborate, share, and learn alongside you. Moreover, please ensure you are signed up for conference updates and peruse our conference website for a comprehensive overview of the exciting experiences that OLC Innovate has in store.

In closing, we extend our deepest gratitude to the dedicated members and volunteers of the OLC and MERLOT communities who have played an integral role in shaping and creating the #OLCInnovate experience. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to (re)connect with you at Innovate 2024!

Warm regards,

Morgan Johnson, Conference Chair

Dr. Jennifer Mathes and Dr. Melissa Vito, Executive Conference Co-Chairs